Nowadays, iPhone has almost become to a smartphone as Kleenex is to tissues... a name brand replaces the generic name in society and it just sticks. Though not too long ago, if you asked a business exec what the ideal phone was, they'd say a BlackBerry. People fell in love with the full querty keyboard and the ease of typing emails on it. I had one at one point. I had a few, actually. Then I had a Trio, and then another BlackBerry, a then I got a personal iPhone, and that was the end of BlackBerry for me. My next work phone (what I have now) is an iPhone, too.But BlackBerry finally stepped up.
They recently introduced the Z10, and not long after, I was given the opportunity to try it out. For the past month, I've been able to 'play around' with the BlackBerry Z10 and compare it to my iPhone, and even other phones friends have. The Z10 can more than compete, and I'm going to spend the rest of this blog telling you why.
First off, they finally made the touch screen the standard for this phone. At the same time, they integrated their querty keyboard into the touchscreen version, still 'learning' how you type and giving you shortcuts to words. It's nice to not have autocorrect constantly changing words you don't want changed. So if you've ever had a BlackBerry before, you'll immediately fall into this comfort zone with it's familiarity.
The Z10 also has a 'hub' if you slide the screen right, giving you all your emails, notes, appointments, alerts, etc. right in one place. You can look at just certain things (like email), or all of it in a chronological list. It's way more comprehensive then 'hubs' other phones have as an option. Even more so, on the home screen, it tells you if you have new items in the hub, so there's no guessing or wondering if something new is there.
And it has apps. Just like the iOS and Droid operating systems, it has it's own store (BlackBerry World) with lots of apps. It came pre-loaded with all of the already popular apps, like YouTube, Facebook, etc. The only flaw I found with some of the apps (mainly the social media) is that they aren't as up to date as ones you find on other operating systems. But I'm guessing that'll change as more people pick up a BlackBerry Z10.
But, by far, my favorite feature is probably the one they're trying to promote the most. It's called Story Maker and if you're one who likes to take pictures and videos and then show them off, this will give you an option that makes you look like a pro. Seriously. It's the simplest video compiler I've ever seen and I can see this, alone, being a selling point. You can even create a video in 1080dp! Especially for those with kids... imagine being able to take pictures and videos during one of their games or recitals, and then being able to have a video compilation of it all before you even get home, ready to send to all your friends and family, and even post on social media. It's absolutely brilliant. I did the video below in about 5 minutes. If that.
As far as cons go, the biggest I can see is that this great phone comes so late in the game. We're so far entrenched in smartphone technology, that most people have chosen their system, and have bought/downloaded all sorts of apps made for that system. As far as I know, there's no way to convert. Sure, it forces loyalty... but you shouldn't have to force it.
But the bottom line is, the BlackBerry Z10 is a great phone, and it's no longer just for the business side of things! It's a great personal phone now, too! They're finally crossing that line, realizing that everyone has a smartphone nowadays, not just the on the go business person. So a big 'yay!' for that! I can honestly say that if you're in the market for a new phone, this is worth a look. BlackBerry hasn't given up yet, nor do they plan on limiting who their market is anymore.
